The best starting point from which to explore the Stuwerviertel is Praterstern. The neighboring park called Venediger Au is a paradise for the kids because of its spacious play area. Having crossed it, visitors unexpectedly come across architectural jewels: a self-contained ensemble of late historicist-secessionist apartment houses, most of which have front gardens (Venediger Au nos. 2-7, at the beginning of Stuwerstrasse and at Ausstellungsstrasse nos. 3-7). One of the architectural highlights of the Stuwerviertel is the Mexican Church, which is actually the parish church of St. Francis of Assisi, built in 1910. Traffic-calmed streets, often lined with mature trees, create a verdant atmosphere. By the way, the neighbourhood takes its name from Johann Georg Stuwer, who organized popular fireworks displays in this area from 1774 onwards. The disreputable aspect mentioned at the beginning of this section refers to the red-light scene that once thrived here.

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Sweet addresses

Here our are two recommendations for visitors with a sweet tooth: At The Cake Tree, delicacies like salty chocolate fudge and Guiness chocolate cake reflect the Irish owner’s heritage. It’s also a heaven for cheesecake fans. In the small premises of Sreja Ice, Dajan Srejic has launched his start-up with great success. He serves all-natural ice cream with no flavor enhancers or preservatives.

“The only ingredients that go in there are real eggs and whipped cream,” Srejic tells us.

His ice cream has even made it onto the shelves of a Viennese gourmet supermarket chain. A tip from us: be sure to pick up a cup as you pass by, for instance the coconut cake or lemon cake varieties (with baked pieces of cake inside) or the hazelnut-iest hazelnut ice cream you’ll ever taste.

Gastro hotspot: Vorgartenmarkt

The Vorgartenmarkt should be a permanent fixture on any tour of the Stuwer Grätzel – it is the neighborhood’s culinary gem: stalls offering fruit, vegetables and speciality foods (extended until 1 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with the farmer’s market) alternate with hot food stalls, whose sidewalk cafés encourage visitors to pause for a while. Ella’s Twins serves the most beautiful coffee and cakes, Fisch am Markt offers up fresh catches, Pizzeria Il Mercato adds an Italian touch.

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Restaurants & taverns

A short distance from the Vorgartenmarkt, the restaurant Zum Mährischen Spatzen offers burgers, schnitzel and roast pork in a rustic ambience complete with dark wood paneling. Proceeding along Stuwerstraße, the Reinthaler is known for rustic, mostly baked home cooking (the highlight is the several varieties of schnitzel), the Gasthaus Möslinger is more elegant (with a focus on Waldviertel cuisine such as sweet poppy seed noodles or carp), while the Stuwer calls itself – and indeed is – a new kind of Viennese tavern that offers handmade and homemade Austrian cuisine with an international perspective yet still attaching importance to regionality.

Then there is the fritz von stuwer in the Stuwerviertel itself, located in a former guesthouse from the 1970s. Food is not necessarily the main focus here, but the menu does offer something more than traditional Beisl (tavern) snacks to accompany the gin & tonic-heavy cocktail menu.

At brösl, on the other hand, diners will be served up exciting interpretations of contemporary dishes that will vary depending on which high-quality ingredients are delivered that day. Farm-to-table is the buzzword. The historic character of the previous guesthouse has been preserved and fused with industrial chic (be sure to check out the dramatic ceiling painting!).

© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer

Here’s another culinary tip for the gourmets: Zazatam at the boutique hotel Zola treats diners to international fine-dining cuisine. The romantic guest garden feels like it was made for perfect summer evenings, and unusual cocktails are the perfect accompaniment. This beautiful villa with its surrounding idyllic garden was once home to an officers’ mess.

Museums of a different kind

In the mood for a spot of culture? The curious Circus and Clown Museum at Ilgplatz revisits the history of magic in all its forms and has a substantial collection of props, costumes, scenery and stories. Unfortunately, it is only open on Sundays (10 am - 1 pm), with events sometimes being held on its private stage.

If you continue your stroll through the Stuwerviertel in the direction of the Prater, you will find the newly opened Prater Museum there. Among the exhibits on display will be the traces of the predecessor of today’s Wurstelprater, which was destroyed during the Second World War.

© Klaus Pichler, Circus- und Clownmuseum Wien I Museen der Stadt Wien

Prater: activities or relaxation in green surroundings

Speaking of the Prater, the Stuwerviertel directly borders the world-famous amusement park. A ride on the Giant Ferris Wheel offers the most spectacular bird’s eye view of the Stuwerviertel. Just a stone’s throw away is the Green Prater, a huge recreational area with woods, meadows and water that is ideal for walking, running, cycling, horseback riding and skating.

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Best for business, state-of-the-art

Another neighbor of the Stuwerviertel is the Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, which is one of the most important venues in “Meeting Destination Vienna”. With its 73,000 square meters of exhibition space, it is the most spacious and flexible venue in Austria, hosting everything from corporate events to conventions, galas and trade fairs with up to 160,000 visitors.

From there, you can continue on to the Vienna University of Economics and Business campus – an educational powerhouse and architectural landmark – and to Viertel Zwei, one of Vienna’s most impressive urban development projects.